Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Early reviews for 'Flags of Our Fathers'

Clint Eastwood's "Flags of Our Fathers" does a most difficult and brave thing and does it brilliantly. It is a movie about a concept. Not just any concept but the shop-worn and often wrong-headed idea of "heroism."

Ambitiously tackling his biggest canvas to date, Clint Eastwood continues to defy and triumph over the customary expectations for a film career in "Flags of Our Fathers." A pointed exploration of heroism -- in its actual and in its trumped-up, officially useful forms -- the picture welds a powerful account of the battle of Iwo Jima, the bloodiest single engagement the United States fought in World War II, with an ironic and ultimately sad look at its aftermath for three key survivors. This domestic Paramount release looks to parlay critical acclaim and its director's ever-increasing eminence into strong B.O. returns through the autumn and probably beyond.

More by BSR

"Sunshine Cleaning," "Wendy and Lucy." And this is fantastic.

Thanks to Philip Martin for a shout-out in his Friday MovieStyle column. I haven't posted my Netflix queue in a while, so here it is.Frozen River; Miracle at St. Anna; Hellboy II: The Golden Army; Happy-Go-Lucky; and Cadillac Records - - all 2008 releases that I missed.